Rogan Josh

Oh, I do love comfort food! This is one of my favorite Indian style dishes. The flavors are so deep and rich, it really is quite a treat. I’ve tweaked it a bit over the years to reduce the fat and sodium. I think it’s one of the best examples of how much flavor you can achieve without tons of salt. Hardly any salt, actually! Purists may take issue, but if you’re after yummy and are willing to sacrifice a bit of authenticity, you’re going to absolutely love this! You’ll find a printer-friendly version of the recipe at the bottom of this page.

Ingredients:

¼ cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt

2 Tbsp Penzey’s Rogan Josh seasoning

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp ground cardamom

⅛ tsp ground cayenne (optional)

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 lb. Lamb stew meat

½ large onion

¾ cup water

Preparation:

1.) Set the yogurt to drain while you prepare the rest of the dish. I like to use a fine mesh strainer lined with a coffee filter. You can set it on a small bowl or pot. I used the container, because it was nearly empty so there was plenty of room. There’s not much water in Greek yogurt anyway, so you don’t need much room or even much time.

3.) Heat 1-2 tsp of the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet on medium-high. Add the lamb in batches, cooking just until browned, and adding a little more oil as needed. Don’t crowd them, or they’ll just steam & you won’t get any browning. As each batch browns remove it from the pan and set it aside; keep warm. Save the last 1-2 tsp oil for the next step. (Note: Some nonstick pans are able to brown, but many can’t. If yours can’t, try switching to a regular skillet. You’ll need more oil, and more water to scrape up the browned bits, but the extra flavor from browning is well worth it.)

4.) With the last of the oil, sauté the onions until lightly browned and slightly softened.

5.) Add the seasonings to the pan. Cook about 1 minute, stirring constantly to prevent scorching.

6.) Return meat to pan, then slowly blend in the water and yogurt.

7.) Cover and cook over low heat for about 15 minutes, then raise heat to reduce sauce until it is thick & the lamb is just cooked through. Serve over brown rice.

You’ll find a printer-friendly version of the recipe at the bottom of this page.

Ingredients

Directions

1.) Set the yogurt to drain while you prepare the rest of the dish. I like to use a fine mesh strainer lined with a coffee filter. You can set it on a small bowl or pot. I used the container, because it was nearly empty so there was plenty of room. There’s not much water in Greek yogurt anyway, so you don’t need much room or even much time.
2.) Combine Rogan Josh, cardamom, salt, & cayenne in a small prep dish. Set aside. Finely chop the onion, & set aside.
3.) Heat 1-2 tsp of the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet on medium-high. Add the lamb in batches, cooking just until browned, and adding a little more oil as needed. Don’t crowd them, or they’ll just steam & you won’t get any browning. As each batch browns remove it from the pan and set it aside; keep warm. Save the last 1-2 tsp oil for the next step. (Note: Some nonstick pans are able to brown, but many can’t. If yours can’t, try switching to a regular skillet. You’ll need more oil, and more water to scrape up the browned bits, but the extra flavor from browning is well worth it.)
4.) With the last of the oil, sauté the onions until lightly browned and slightly softened.
5.) Add the seasonings to the pan. Cook about 1 minute, stirring constantly to prevent scorching.
6.) Return meat to pan, then slowly blend in the water and yogurt.
7.) Cover and cook over low heat for about 15 minutes, then raise heat to reduce sauce until it is thick & the lamb is just cooked through. Serve over brown rice.